are not fent away for being fornicators, fwearers. fabbathbreakers, or prodigals. No, in all probability, as I obferved before, they were, touching the outward obfervances of the moral law, blamelefs; they were conftant as to the form of. religion; and if they did no good, yet no one could fay, they did any one any harm. The only thing for which they were condemned, and eternally banifhed from the prefence of the LORD, (for fo much is implied in "I know you not") was this, they had no oil in their lamps, no principle of a true living faith and holiness in their hearts. And if perfons may: go to church, receive the facrament, lead honeft moral lives, and yet be sent to hell at the last day, as they certainly will be if they advance no farther, Where wilt thou, O drunkard? Where wilt thou, O fwearer? Where wilt thou, O fabbathbreaker? Where wilt thou that denieft divine revelation, and even the form of godlinefs? Where will you, and fuch-like finners appear? I know very well. You must appear before the dreadful tribunal of JESUS CHRIST: however you may, like Felix, put off the profecution of your convictions, yet you, as well as others, muft arise after death, and appear in judgment; you will then find, to your eternal forrow, what I just hinted at in the beginning of this difcourfe, that your = damnation flumbereth not: fin has blinded your hearts, and hardened your foreheads now, but yet a little while, and our LORD will eafe him of his adverfaries. Methinks, by faith, I fee the heavens opened, and the holy JESUS coming, with his face brighter than ten thousand funs, darting fury upon you from his eyes! Methinks I fee you rifing from your graves, trembling and astonished, and crying out, who can abide this day of his coming!

And now what inference fhall I draw from what has been delivered? Our LORD, in the words of the text, has drawn one for me;" Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.".

"Watch;" that is, be upon your guard, and keep your graces in continual exercife: For as when we are commanded to watch unto prayer, it fignifies that we fhould continue inftant in that duty; fo when we are required to watch in gegeral, it means that we fhould put on the whole armour of GOD, and live every day as though it was our last. And O

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that the LORD may now enable me to lift up my voice like a trumpet! For had I a thousand tongues, or could I fpeak fo loud that the whole world might hear me, I could not found a more useful alarm than that which is contained in the text. WATCH therefore, my brethren, I beseech you by the mercies of GOD in CHRIST JESUS, watch; be upon your guard; awake, ye that fleep in the duft: for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Perhaps today, perhaps this midnight, the cry may be made: "for in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the trump is to found." However, fuppofing the final day of judgment may yet be a great way off, the day of death is certainly near at hand for what is our life?" It is but a vapour," but a span long, foon paffeth it away, and we are gone. Bleffed be GOD, we are all here well; but who, out of this great multitude, dares say, I fhall go home to my houfe in safety? Who knows, but whilft I am speaking, GoD may commiffion his miniftring fpirits immediately to call fome of you away by a sudden stroke, to give an account with what attention have heard this fermon. You know, my brethren you fome fuch inftances we have lately had. And what angel or fpirit hath affured us, that some of you shall not be the next? "Watch therefore, for ye know: neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man will come:" And it is chiefly for this reason, that God has hidden the day of our deaths from us. For fince I know not but I may die to-morrow, why, O my foul, may each of us fay, wilt thou not watch to day? Since I know not but I may die the next moment, why wilt thou not prepare for dying this? Many fuch reflections as these, my brethren, croud in upon my mind. At prefent, bleffed be the LORD, who delights to magnify his ftrength in a poor worm's weakness, I am at a stand, not fo much about what I fhall fay, as what I fhall leave unfaid. My belly, like Elihu's, is, as it were, full of new wines; "out of the abundance of my heart my mouth fpeaketh." The feeing so great a multitude standing before me; a sense of the infinite majesty of that God in whose name I preach, and before whom I as well as you must appear, to give an account; and the uncertainty there is whether I fhall live another day, to speak to you any more: thefe confiderations, especially

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the prefence of GOD, which I now feel upon my foul, furnishes me with fo much matter, that I fcarce know where to begin, or where to end my application. However, for method-fake, by the divine affiftance, I will branch it into three particulars.

And first, I would remind you that are notoriously ungodly, of what our LORD fays in the text: For though I have faid that your damnation flumbereth not, whilst you continue in an impenitent state; yet that was only to fet you upon your watch, to convince you of your danger, and excite you to cry out, "What fhall we do to be faved?" I appeal to all that hear me, whether I have faid, the door of mercy should be shut against you, if you believe on JESUS CHRIST: No, if you are the chief of finners; if you are murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers; if you are emphatically the dung and offscouring of all things; yet if you believe on JESUS CHRIST, and cry unto him with the fame faith as the expiring thief, "LORD, remember me, now thou art in thy kingdom;" I will pawn my eternal falvation upon it, if he does not shortly tranflate you to his heavenly paradise. Wonder not at my fpeaking with fo much affurance: For I know it is a faithful and true faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that JESUS CHRIST came into the world to fave (all truly affected and believing) finners: Nay, fo great is his love, that I am perfuaded, was it neceffary, he would come again into the world, and die a fecond time for them on the crofs. But, bleffed be GoD, when our LORD bowed down his head, and gave up the ghoft, out redemption was finifhed. It is not our fins, but our want of a lively faith in his blood, that will prove our condemnation: if you draw near to him by faith, though ye are the worst of finners, yet he will not fay unto you, "Verily I know you not." No, a door of mercy shall be opened to you. Look then, look then, by an eye of faith, to that GOD-man whom ye have pierced: Behold him bleeding, panting, dying upon the cross, with arms ftretched out ready to embrace you all. Hark! how he groans! See how all nature is in an agony! The rocks rend, the graves open; the fun withdraws its light, afhamed as it were to fee the GoD of nature fuffer; and all this to ufher in man's great redemption. Nay, the Holy JESUS, in the very agonies and pangs

of death, prays for his very murderers; "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." If then you have crucified the Son of GOD afresh, and put him to an open fhame, yet do not defpair, only believe, and even this fhall be forgiven. You have read, at least you have heard, no doubt, how three thousand were converted at St. Peter's preaching one fingle fermon, after our LORD's afcenfion into heaven; and many of the crucifiers of the LORD of glory undoubtedly were amongst them; and why fhould you defpair? For "JESUS CHRIST is the fame yefterday, to-day, and for ever." The Holy Ghost shall be sent down on you, as well as on them, if do but believe; for CHRIST afcended up on high to reyou ceive this gift even for the vileft of men. Come then, all ye that are weary and heavy laden with the fenfe of your fins, Jay hold on CHRIST by faith, and he will give you rest; for falvation is the free gift of God to all them that believe. And though you may think this too good news to be true, yet I fpeak the truth in CHRIST, I lie not, this is the gofpel, this is the glad tidings which we are commiffioned to preach to every creature. Be not faithless then, but believing. Let not the devil lead you captive at his will any longer; for all the wages he gives his fervants is death, death often in this life, death everlasting in the next: But the free gift of GOD, is eternal life to all that believe in JESUS CHRIST. Pharifees are and will be offended at my coming here, and offering you falvation on fuch cheap terms; but the more they bid me hold my peace, the more will I cry out and proclaim to convicted finners, that JESUS, David's Son according to the flesh, but David's Lord as he was GOD, will have mercy upon all that by a living faith truly turn to him. If this is to be vile, I pray GOD, I may be more vile. If they will not let me preach CHRIST crucified, and offer falvation to poor finners in a church, I will preach him in the lanes, ftreets, highways and hedges; and nothing pleases me better, than to think I am now in one of the devils ftrongest holds. Surely, the LORD has not fent me and all you hither for nothing; no, blessed be GOD, the fields are white ready unto harveft, and many fouls I hope will be gathered into his heavenly garner. It is true, it is the midnight of the church, especially the poor church of England; but GOD has lately fent forth his fervants

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to cry, "Behold the bridegroom cometh':" I beseech you, O finners, hearken unto the voice! Let me efpouse you by faith to my dear mafter; and henceforward "watch and pray," that you may be ready to go forth to meet him.

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Secondly, I would apply myfelf to thofe amongst you, that are not openly profane, but by depending on a formal round of duties, deceive your own fouls, and are only foolish virgins. But I muft fpeak to your conviction, rather than your comfort. My dear brethren, do not deceive your own fouls. You have heard how far the foolish virgins went, and yet were answered with Verily I know you not:" The reafon is, because none but fuch who have a living faith in JESUS CHRIST, and are truly born again, can poffibly enter into the kingdom of heaven. You may, perhaps, live honest and outwardly moral lives, but if you depend on that morality, or join your works with your faith, in order to juftify you before GOD, you have ho lot or fhare in CHRIST's redemption: For what is this but to deny the LORD that has bought you? What is this but making yourselves your own Saviours? taking the crown from JESUS CHRIST, and putting it on your own heads? The crime of the devil, fome have fuppofed, confifted in this, that he would not bow to JESUS CHRIST, when the Father commanded all the angels to worfhip him; and what do you lefs? You will not own and fubmit to his righteoufnefs; and though you pretend to worfhip him with your lips, yet your hearts are far from him; befides you, in effect, deny the operations of his bleffed fpirit, you mistake common for effectual grace; you hope to be faved, because you have good defires, and a few short convictions; and what is this, but to give God, his word, and all his faints, the lie? A few, a Turk, has equally as good grounds whereon to build his hopes of falvation. Need I not then to cry out to you, ye foolish virgins, watch. Beg of GOD to convince you of your felf-righteousness, and the fecret unbelief of your hearts; or otherwife, whenfoever the cry fhall be made, "Behold the bridegroom cometh," you will find yourselves utterly unprepared to go forth to meet him: You may cry "Lord, Lord;" but the answer will be, "Verily, I know you not."